Digimon Savers: Legacy
by Mugen no Ken
Summary: Eleven years after the battle with Yggdrasil. The gate between worlds has since opened back up, DATS is once more active, and life goes on. Even as DATS strives for a better future, one question remains... Where is Daimon Masaru?
1. The One Who Bears The Strongest Name!

**Disclaimer:** "Digimon Savers" and all related characters and terms are the property of Bandai and Toei Animation. This is merely produced for fun and the entertainment of its fans. Original characters and concepts are my own creation.

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><p>For over two decades, the fate of this world has been tied closely to the events of another.<p>

Twenty one years ago, a man among men disappeared into this other world, not knowing that his actions would guide and inspire a whole other generation.

Ten years later, that same generation would save both worlds from certain destruction. Then, when all was said and done, it was another young man's turn to journey to that other world, like the one who came before him.

This young man, with the burning blood that flowing through his veins, bearing unrelenting strength and willpower... he would inspire his own legacy

A legacy would become the stuff of legends.

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><p>The Digital World.<p>

To be specific, a part of the Digital World that was a lush and flourishing forest, teeming with life. Once long ago, it had been watched over by a digimon of great power, and guarded first hand by a boy of unyielding will. However, that was then, and this was now. With the death of Mercurimon, and the return of Noguchi Ikuto to his home world, a power vacuum had formed in the Zanzaga Forest.

Such things had become commonplace in the Digital World after the carnage triggered by a certain mad man. Mercurimon was not the only one to fall to this chaos. The holy city of ElDoradimon and even the world's very god and ruler, Yggdrasil, were no longer present in this world...

Yushima Hiroshi was already an old man eleven years ago, when that whole conflict reached its peak. Now, walking along a small path with his dutiful yet quiet partner digimon, Kamemon, he couldn't let himself be concerned about the past. Both Mercurimon's Infinite Ice Ridge and the Zanzaga Forest had been secured for some time since then. In fact, that was why he had come to this place.

Eventually, a shout from up ahead caught his attention, causing Yushima to give a small smile and increase the pace of his stride. Kamemon waddled hurriedly behind him, and they soon came upon the source of the voice at the path's end - a small, humanoid creature made of rocks with big, yellow eyes.

"Ah, good, you finally made it!" the creature exclaimed.

"Well hello there, Gotsumon!" Yushima greeted, while Kamemon tipped his helmet in quiet greeting. "Say, seeing you _does_ remind you of that drink I promised last time..."

As Yushima approached, Gotsumon had been standing at full attention. At the mention of that drink however, his eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together excitedly. "Oh, that'd be, that'd be great! I-"

He paused abruptly, coughing into his hand and going back to attention. "Ahem. I mean. I have come to escort you, as your presence has been requested by-"

"That is quite all right, Gotsumon," another voice cut the rocky digimon off.

The path Yushima had been walking down led out into a large clearing. Approaching from that clearing were two massive figures who dwarfed the three already present in size by several _stories._ One was a knight digimon clad in white armor, whose right and left arms both ended in what looked like the head of a blue wolf and an armored dragon, respectively. The other was a knight in purple armor, with a helmet that looked much like a skull. He had two glowing red eyes made him look like a much more sinister force than Yushima knew him to be.

Their names were Omegamon and Craniummon and they were two of the Royal Knights, the former guardians and soldiers of Yggdrasil. With their lord and master gone, they stood as the first line of defense against threats to the harmony between both worlds, just as DATS did in the Human World.

"There is no need to be so formal, Gotsumon" Omegamon continued, motioning towards Yushima and Kamemon. "Least of all, among friends."

Gotsumon sighed and rubbed the back of his head, which subsequently made a loud scratching noise. Yushima just smiled and went on speaking. "Omegamon! Craniummon. It's been awhile."

Omegamon stepped ahead of his fellow knight, while Craniummon held back. Yushima noted that even with his heavy armor, there was something uneasy about Craniummon's body motion. The purple knight crossed his arms and looked away, saying nothing.

Omegamon knelt down, the sheer weight of his body causing a heavy breeze to blow out in all directions. "That it has, Yushima. Although, from what I have heard, you have been here for a very long time..."

Yushima gave a hearty chuckle and shook his head. "No, I've been _alive_ a very long time... By comparison, the gate between worlds has been only open again for six years. Not very long when you consider that. After all the time I've been around, I think I deserved a lengthy vacation."

Omegamon studied the old man for several moments. "Somehow, I think 'vacation' is a poor way of describing what you've been doing here for the past few years, my friend."

Yushima chuckled again, looking down, thinking for a moment. However, when he looked back up he had a gravely serious look on his face. "Yes, well. You understand why that is," the man said, his eyes darting briefly to the purple knight. "Craniummon especially."

Omegamon closed his eyes, nodding. "Craniummon is much like you. He wouldn't rest until he had turned over every stone in this world."

Yushima cast a hard look towards Craniummon. "I don't expect that you would have called upon me unless you had turned over a _particular_ stone..."

Craniummon gave a heavy sigh, looking at Yushima. He stared for several long moments, before he started to walk over. "You have searched the very last place we know he headed, haven't you, Yushima?"

"Of course, and I've seen just _how_ much destruction was wrought there... Do not beat around the bush, Craniummon."

The glow of Craniummon's red eyes faded out for a moment, and he too knelt before Yushima. "Omegamon was right, I left no stone unturned. With what that _demon_ did to the area, it was a lot of ground to cover thoroughly... and that devastation almost made it very easy to overlook something so simple..."

Yushima noticed that one of Craniummon's fists was clenched, and his eyes were still shut. In fact, though the Royal Knight looked to be desperate to hide the fact, Yushima could swear his body was slightly shaking. Saying nothing more, Craniummon extended his clenched hand to the old man, opening it.

Yushima's eyes widened in a rare moment of shock, finding himself (just as rarely) completely speechless. There was but a tiny object in Craniummon's palm; something that would normally be like a spec of dust to the Royal Knight. Still, he had somehow spotted this and recognized it in the midst of the ruins and devastation...

The man's hand snatched the tiny object up, clenching it in both of his fist and as he held it against his chest. "And this was all you found...?"

Craniummon's eyes finally began glowing again, and he nodded. "It is. After so long, it is the _only _thing I could find... I'm sorry, Yushima. I..."

"No," Yushima said quickly, shaking his head. He could tell that now _he_ was visibly shaking, but he tried to ignore it. "You have done more than enough..."

Omegamon sighed, and rose back to his feet. He the began to turn around, his cape sweeping around with him. "You have great faith, Yushima Hiroshi. Faith in your kind, in _our_ kind, and both of our worlds... and most importantly, you have great faith in your men. Were it not for that same faith, and instilling it into people like _that_ man, we would not be standing here today. There is a time to hope for the best, my friend, but there is also a time to move on. I do not think he would want you to make yourself suffer, especially not after you searched for so long."

The white knight looked to Craniummon, and patted his wolf hand on his comrade's shoulder. "The same applies to you, Craniummon."

Craniummon nodded slowly, but it was a motion that seemed somehow defeated. He stood back up, but kept his gaze on Yushima. "I cannot do much for you, except for what I have given you. Understand that just as we would not be standing here without you, it is also true we wouldn't be here without him."

He rose and turned in the same direction as Omegamon. "I will never forget the potential of humans that he showed me. Farewell, my friends."

Saying nothing more, obviously understanding there wasn't much else _to_ be said, the Royal Knights began to take their leave.

Yushima gave a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging. If what he held in his hand was any indication, perhaps it was time his 'vacation' really _did_ end...

"Hiroshi..." Kamemon said quietly, placing his hand atop Yushima's.

Smiling sadly, he nodded and looked at Gotsumon. "I think I'll have to offer you that drink some other time..."

Gotsumon just nodded silently, now looking quite distressed. Turning his eyes up towards the blue sky, Yushima did his best to keep his smile. "Just remember, Gotsumon. It is better to remember than it is to mourn, especially in a world as uncertain as this. In the meantime..."

Yushima turned, he and Kamemon beginning to return the way they came. "I suppose it's finally time to go home..."

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><p><strong>Digimon Savers: LEGACY<br>Episode One – _"The One Who Bears The Strongest Name!"_  
>By Mugen no Ken<strong>

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><p>Yokohama.<p>

In many ways, it was just as any other large city did. People came and went about their daily lives just as any other. Whether to work or play, it was the same sort of hustle and bustle one would see in any other metropolitan area.

Just as there was normal, everyday life, there was also crime in this city, and those that were charged with dealing with the criminals responsible. That, however, was where similarities ended between this and other places.

Yokohama was not an ordinary city. It was ground zero for a very particular sort of crime – in fact, a very particular sort of _phenomenon_ - and a very particular sort of law enforcement.

Evidence of this could be seen on the streets within the heart of the city. A trio of young people were running through it as fast as their legs could carry them. For some, this was faster than others.

Trailing behind the other two was the youngest of the trio, a nineteen year old girl with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She and the others wore a distinct uniform that set them well apart from average law enforcement. They were bold and bright, each color coded to its wearer, with this girl in question's outfit being a light blue.

The girl named Relena Norstein was many years past overcoming the crippling illness of her younger years, and was generally in pretty good shape. In fact, she was in _very_ good shape when compared to most people. However, the veteran members of DATS were very different from "most people."

Regardless, Relena pressed ahead, attempting to keep up in spite of being red faced and looking very exhausted. Backing down would show weakness, and that was the last thing she wanted to display to her friends.

"Our perps could have split up ahead of us!" shouted one of those comrades, the next up ahead of Relena, another young woman clad in a red uniform. Her long brown hair was similarly tied up in a ponytail, though set lower than Relena's. She either hadn't caught that Relena was falling behind, or was holding off on calling her out on it.

Her name was Daimon Chika.

"I'll go high!" shouted the last of the three: a tall young man Chika's age with blue hair and an athletic build, wearing a purple uniform, and a tribal necklace. On his back there was a large boomerang connected to his belt.

As soon as the words left Noguchi Ikuto's mouth, he had jumped up to grab the bottom of a fire escape ladder. What resulted was him scaling the side of the building in seconds by jumping and flipping up through the side of the fire escape. It was an act that most humans would balk at in amazement, because it was a feat one would expect out of some sort of animal, _not_ a human.

Relena had no time to be amazed though, as she found herself nearly running into Chika. The older woman had abruptly stopped at an intersection, and those few seconds of watching Ikuto climb had given Relena the time to catch up to her.

The blonde girl drew in a deep breath, and clutched her chest. "Chika-san," Relena said. She had to mentally remind herself to add in proper honorifics when speaking Japanese, for it was only polite. "Did we lose them...?"

Chika didn't say anything for a few moments, her eyes scanning the street ahead of them. "I think..." she started, and then her eyes widened. "No! There!"

She pointed abruptly to the fenced in area of a nearby construction yard, where a building was in the process of being erected. No workers were currently there, as it was an off day, so there shouldn't have been anyone there at all. However, Relena caught sight of a teenaged girl with long black hair in rather grungy looking clothes.

Without another word, Chika took off again. In fact, she jumped _onto_ the nearest _moving car_ and proceeded to almost casually jump from vehicle to vehicle - ignoring blaring horns of irritated drivers - to cross the way. Relena frowned and sighed dejectedly. She moved cautiously and gingerly between cars, bowing and apologizing to the impeded commuters as she went.

Needless to say, Chika's method was faster.

As Relena rounded the fence that Chika had jumped clean over moments before, she caught a bright flash of light. Two flashes of light, to be precise, as two separate energies clashed. One a blazing orange, the other a light purple. As Relena adjusted her eyes, she saw that it was the power of both girls' Digi-Souls.

Chika was caught mid way through trying to throw a punch at the other female, their target having surged Digi-Soul around her body to defend herself. Chika jumped back, boots sliding across the dirt of the construction yard as she skidded to a stop. Her orange Digi-Soul flickered out as Relena caught up.

Chika held out a hand to indicate for Relena not to advance further, while keeping her gaze on the dark haired girl. "Sakurai Hana! You and your brother are to come quietly with us, for questioning regarding your connections to the Black Dragon Gang!"

The girl, who Relena noted was even younger than she was, gave a haughty snort. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and placed a hand on her hip. "Come off it, you wannabe cop," Hana said with a sneer. "You can't honestly think I'm going to sell my boys out that easily, do ya? 'Sides that, do you even _see_ my brother around here?"

Relena cast a worried look to Chika as she saw the older woman give an irritated twitch. She wasn't sure precisely why, but it was notable and obviously due to something this Hana girl said...

Clearing her throat, Relena took a step forward. "Sakurai-san, we are not trying to hurt you or your friends. There are merely concerns about their activities that could be as much of a danger to them, and yourself, as to anyone else. We are only here to help..."

Hana gawked at Relena as if she were crazy for a few seconds, before throwing her head back with a sharp laugh. "Yeah, whatever, blondie. You want me?" she asked, and reached into her pants pocket. What she retrieved was unmistakably a Digivice.

A device no one outside of DATS _should_ legally have.

"Psychemon, _Realize_!"

Light burst from the device, and something began to materialize before her. It was creature - a digimon. It was a stumpy little lizard, with bright pink skin and green markings and the pelt of a purple striped wolf worn over his body.

"Keh, these bitches givin' you a hard time, Hana?!" Psychemon snapped, flashing a toothy grin. "I'll show 'em what happens to losers who screw with the Black Dragons!"

Relena was immediately taken aback by the digimon's choice of language. "How uncouth," she murmured, before the Digivice clipped to her belt lit up as a voice shrieked from it.

_"What did he just call you?!"_ the voice cried. _"Release me, Relena-sama, and I will show this scoundrel no quarter!"_

Relena squeaked, and snatched up her light-blue and white Digivice. "N- now, now... let us not be hasty..." she said nervously, while trying to also sound calming.

"No, I'd say he's about right," Chika said, unhooking her red and black Digivice, which was distinctively different looking from Hana or Relena's, thrusting it out. "Talking time's over."

"...o- oh," Relena stammered, frowning a bit as she mimicked Chika's action. "If you say so, Chika-san..."

"Piyomon, _Realize_!"

"Kotemon, _Realize_!"

A large pink feathered bird appeared alongside a smaller, humanoid creature in kendo gear that looked like it was a couple sizes too big for him. The Kotemon immediately and angrily thrust his wooden sword out in Psychemon's direction.

"You ruffian!" Kotemon growled. "I will have you know my partner is a lady of class and dignity, and you will _speak_ to her as such!"

Relena suddenly wanted to sink back into a hole at that moment out of embarrassment. "K- Kotemon, let us not get carried away..."

"Oh, I'll get carried away all right!" Psychemon roared, before charging forward.

"We gave you every chance you could ask for!" Piyomon snapped as he ran up to meet their opponent.

Psychemon jabbed a claw out for the bird, but he took to the air in order to dodge it. Flipping over above Psychemon, Piyomon came straight down, aiming a talon for his head. The reptile digimon side stepped, swinging around with a kick. Piyomon brought up one wing to block as he hit the ground, and was sent sliding back, although he did not fall.

Kotemon, meanwhile, had not engaged... because Relena had opted to pat his head in a vain attempt to calm him down.

Across the distance, Hana was covering her mouth in order to smother her laughter. "Aw man... seriously? _This_ is what DATS is calling help nowadays?"

"That's none of your concern," Chika said, holding out a hand as fire-like orange Digi-Soul began to swirl around it. "Your opponent right now is _us_!"

"Oh-ho..." Hana said, almost cooing as she held out her hand. The light purple color of her Digi-Soul also sprung up around it. "You wanna play that way? Then lets dance, honey!"

Both Digi-Soul infused hands flashed out to their Digivices, slapping down on top of them. _**"DIGI-SOUL CHARGE!"**_

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><p>Ikuto ran along the edge of the rooftops. While he caught flashes of light out of the corner of his eye that indicated Chika had found her prey, he was certain that it was only one of them. As he leaped cleanly from one building to the roof of another that was all the way across the street, he was certain his hunch had been proven right.<p>

He caught sight of a young man with dark, spiked hair in biker gear pushing his way roughly through a crowd crossing the street. He was Sakurai Tetsuya, the OTHER person that DATS was hunting. A slight smirk adorning his face, Ikuto jumped straight off the edge of the building.

He landed on the other side of the sidewalk, crossing his arms. People around him were startled at his sudden appearance from the sky, and scattered. Tetsuya, on the other hand, pushed his way out of the crowd only to come face-to-face with Ikuto.

"Hiya!" Ikuto greeted merrily.

Tetsuya responded with a growl and an attempted punch to the face. Ikuto dodged and hopped further down the sidewalk, motioning eagerly with both hands.

"Bring it, if you think you have it in you!"

Tetsuya gave an irritated snort. "Punk," he muttered, reaching in his jacket. "I am so sick of DATS butting into our business."

_"Maybe if you didn't give us a reason to, we wouldn't!"_ a voice echoed from the Digivice Burst on Ikuto's hip.

"We'll see about that," Tetsuya said, and pulled out what Ikuto recognized to be a Digivice much like the one his Burst had evolved from.

Ikuto's eyes narrowed. "We know you guys have been running with digimon for awhile," the DATS agent said aloud. "But that's a new toy, there..."

Tetsuya just grinned. "Bearmon, _Realize_!" There was a flash of light, and a bear cub digimon in a baseball cap appeared between the thug and Ikuto. The digimon promptly gave a yawn, while people around them stared for a short while before several of them started to clear the area. Digimon may not have been much of a secret any longer, but they were still well known to be extremely dangerous creatures.

"You called me out for this?" Bearmon whined, frowning at Ikuto. "Geez, Tetsuya. Can't you ever handle your own fights...?"

Tetsuya sighed, palming his face. "Seriously? SERIOUSLY? You're going to give me this crap _now_?"

Bearmon rolled his eyes, and walked forward, swinging his arms half-heartedly. "Fine, fine..." he said, lazily. "I _guess_ I can handle this one... 'Sides, this guy don't look so tough..." Ikuto was actually surprised, then, when Bearmon became a literal blur. The digimon bounded across the distance between them in a flash, and Ikuto barely brought his boomerang around in time to brace for the coming impact.

**"Koguma Seikendzuki!"** Bearmon roared, pulling his fist back as energy gathered around it. He thrust it out, but only a heavy thud was heard as it slammed into Ikuto's weapon.

Ikuto was able to hold his ground, only sliding back a couple inches. Bearmon looked up, and rolled his head to the side a bit. "Pretty tough... for a human weapon..."

Ikuto grinned. "That's because it's not a human weapon!"

He swung the boomerang out, knocking Bearmon back. The digimon flipped over and landed on his feet, a look in his eye saying that he was much more interested in the situation now. As Ikuto hefted the boomerang up, resting the large weapon on his shoulder, his Digivice flashed.

_"Ikuto! Shall I?"_

Ikuto pondered that for a moment, and then shook his head. "Actually, Falcomon..." he said, and pointed at Tetsuya. "I kind of want to see the look on the face of this 'tough guy' when a human kicks his digimon's ass."

_"Heh, heh... alright! Go for it!"_ Ikuto didn't take any further prompting, and within the next moment, both he and Bearmon were rushing to meet one another's blows.

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><p>DATS Headquarters. Though people would come and go over time and equipment would be upgraded, it largely retained the same look it had since Fujieda Yoshino was first brought into the organization. However, it had been awhile since she stood on the other side of the desk where she now sat.<p>

"Captain Fujieda! We've got a situation!"

The excited and somewhat frantic shout caught Yoshino's attention, and she sat upright in her chair. The pink & green plant digimon known as Lalamon was sitting on the edge of her partner's desk, and also turned in the direction of the voice.

The call came from a young woman sitting in one of the main operations management areas. She had long, straight red hair and wore a female operator's uniform. A Patamon sat beside her. Across from her sat a man. He had dark hair that was graying, and looked every day of fifty years old. He typed calmly, while the PicoDevimon beside him rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't squawk like its a big deal," PicoDevimon snorted. "You yell so loud sometimes, it rings my ears. They're sensitive, y'know!"

"Hey! Takahashi!" Patamon piped up, peeking up over his and the redhead's console in order to glare daggers at the PicoDevimon. "You wanna tell your partner not to be such a sour puss?"

Takahashi Naoyuki spoke calmly, not taking his eyes off his work. "With all considerations made, it is nothing for Chiba-kun to be frantic over."

Naoyuki provided a short look towards Yoshino.

"Agents have engaged the rogue Black Dragon elements," he paused, looking back briefly to the redheaded girl before adjust his glasses and returning to work. "All is simply going as it needs to, Captain Fujieda."

Chiba Mariko frowned, looking back down at her station, while Patamon slumped down beside her, grumbling.

Yoshino lightly pinched the bridge of her nose. _Everyone here knows what they're doing, _she thought to herself. _But so help me if I can't be afraid of everyone in this room trying to kill each other..._

"I still say you should just let Patamon and PicoDevimon fight it out," Lalamon offered in a small voice so as only Yoshino heard her, swinging her stubby little legs back and forth off the desk's edge.

Yoshino tilted her head to one side. "No, Lalamon. I am not going to let Patamon and PicoDevimon go at it. The last thing we need is a Digi-Egg where an Agent's partner used to be."

"Hey! It worked for..." the plant digimon suddenly trailed off, and Yoshino just stared at her. Lalamon immediately turned away, and began to float off. She then said, short and quickly, "I think I'll go see if I can get some of the other Agents ready, just in case these guys get back up."

Yoshino watched her partner for a few moments, before looking ahead aimlessly. She then abruptly shook her head, and focused back on the tasks at hand. There wasn't room in this line of work for personal distractions in the middle of a mission.

At least, that was what Yoshino liked to tell herself. In truth, she knew better. She knew that those 'personal distractions' were as much the strength of DATS as they were one of its weaknesses. It was all simply a matter of learning how to balance them, for better or worse.

She realized she had one hand clenched into a fist, and relaxed it, taking in a breath. _This is just a routine mission, Yoshino..._ she told herself. _Why are you acting so apprehensive...?_ She looked up at the various screens that were monitoring the status of their agents and the mission at hand. Frowning a bit, she spoke up. "Mariko? Bring up audio links to all field Agents. I want to hear everything that's going on."

While Yoshino may not have been able to explain why she was feeling this way, she COULD at least follow everything step by step. It had been many years since the digimon had returned to the Human World, but she had long since _before_ learned one important lesson...

When your gut instinct tells you not to let someone out of your sight, one should really follow it.

* * *

><p>A bright flash of Digi-Soul and an earth shattering roar signaled Bearmon's evolution into his Adult form, Grizzmon. Ikuto fell back across the sidewalk, holding his boomerang defensively as Grizzmon loomed beside his partner.<p>

Tetsuya sneered, glaring at Ikuto. "Just what the hell are you trying to prove, anyway? You seriously think you're going to get away with not calling your digimon out?"

_"He doesn't know us very well, does he?"_ Falcomon's voice laughed from Ikuto's Digivice, while the young man continued to grin.

"Better question is what _you're_ trying to prove," Ikuto shot back.

Grizzmon cocked his head to one side, and gave a toothy grin. "Heh, heh... I _like_ this kid, Tetsuya!" Then, the Adult digimon ran forward.

A brief moment of surprise flashed in Ikuto's eyes as he quickly realized that, despite the increase in his size, Grizzmon's speed had not been _decreased._ In fact, he burst towards Ikuto with even more speed than he possessed as Bearmon. Realizing the boomerang wouldn't be enough to shield himself this time, he held it up just as purple Digi-Soul exploded out from his body.

Grizzmon slammed a claw right into the boomerang, and Ikuto found himself lifted off his feet, flying out over the middle of the street. As the DATS agent righted himself in the air, he looked up to find that Grizzmon had jumped after him. With the digimon just about on top of him, Ikuto didn't have the time to dodge. Instead, Grizzmon slammed right into the human, and their combined weight went plowing into an abandoned car.

The vehicle was crushed instantly under Grizzmon's weight, its tires exploding as metal crunched and bent when the human slammed into the car's roof. For almost any other person in the world, that would have been it; they would have just been a squishy mess beneath Grizzmon's claws.

But not only was Noguchi Ikuto perfectly okay, he was _smirking_. He was pinned between Grizzmon and the demolished car, the glow of his Digi-Soul aura still pulsing lightly around his body, holding the bear digimon's claws at bay with his boomerang. However, he didn't look like he was in any sort of pain.

"You're pretty fast, for a big guy," Ikuto said, looking Grizzmon in the eye.

"And you're pretty durable, for a human," Grizzmon said with a half chuckle.

Ikuto suddenly slammed his feet against Grizzmon's gut, kicking him off and back towards the sidewalk. As the Adult digimon landed, his forward claws slammed into the concrete, shattering it.

"Okay, I'll give you some credit, Sakurai," Ikuto said as he pulled himself out of the wreckage, rolling one of his shoulders and rubbing it. "Your digimon partner's an okay guy, compared to you. Just for that, I'm _not_ going to embarrass him completely..."

Ikuto pulled his Digivice off his belt, thrusting it forward. "Falcomon, _Realize_!" As the black feathered bird digimon materialized before Ikuto, he was at the same time channeling Digi-Soul into his fist. "Ready?"

Falcomon laughed, spreading out his wings. "Always! It was beginning to get cramped in there, anyhow."

_**"DIGI-SOUL CHARGE!"**_ Light burst forth from the device, enveloping Falcomon.

_**"Falcomon, evolve!"**_ the Child digimon cried out, energy swirling around his body. He changed and grew, becoming a yellow feathered, ostrich-like creature clad in ninja gear. _**"PECKMON!"**_

Without a word of warning, Peckmon dashed straight for Grizzmon. The bear gave a mixture of a snarl and a grin, lunging at the bird digimon at the same time. One set of claws met a kick from Peckmon's powerful legs, and not a second after their blows impacted one another, the bird bounded back, landing gracefully on top of a car.

"Heh... you're quicker than the human!" Grizzmon shouted, appraising Peckmon carefully.

Peckmon smirked and held out a wing, brandishing a kunai between his feathers. "I don't believe we're here to talk."

Grizzmon laughed, slapping one of his front paws on the ground. "I guess not! BRING IT, THEN!"

Peckmon said nothing, only giving a shout as he and Grizzmon rushed to meet one another once again.

* * *

><p><strong>"JUSTICE BULLET!"<strong>

There was the sound of a deafening explosion as Hana's partner, evolved now into the gun-shaped digimon Revolmon, fired a massive bullet from the barrel on his chest at Chika's Aquilamon. The brown-feathered bird digimon rolled in the air, deftly avoiding the Justice Bullet as it streaked past him into the air.

Relena squinted at the sight, cocking her head to one side, while she held Kotemon back from charging into the fight by keeping a gentle hold on one of his sleeves. Something about this seemed ... odd to her.

"For crying out loud!" Hana snapped, glaring at her partner. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"

Aquilamon swooped down, power welling up in his mouth. **"BLAST LASER!" **Rings of energy burst from the airborne digimon's maw, causing both Hana and Revolmon to shriek as they dove out of the way. As the Blast Laser slammed into the dirt, the resulting explosion causing a cloud of dust to rise into the air, Relena finally looked back towards Chika.

"Um, Chika-san," Relena spoke up. "I don't understand."

Chika paused and blinked, looking back away from the "fight." It wasn't actually much of one, to be truthful, as Revolmon was currently running away screaming as Aquilamon gave chase, attempting to jab at him with his talons.

Relena tapped her fingers together, tilting her head to the other side. "How does Sakurai-san's partner evolve into, well... _that?_ I mean, most other evolutions tend to make sense..."

Chika looked like she was about to fall over, and she put a hand to her forehead. "..._this_ is what you come up with? Relena-chan, really..."

Another shrill cry brought their attention back to matters at hand. Namely, that Aquilamon was now standing squarely on the ground... with Revolmon pinned underneath his foot.

"You _idiot_!" Hana shrieked, stomping a foot into the dirt. "It's bad enough your evolution line is so retarded!"

"See!" Relena piped up, raising a finger. "Even Sakurai-san thinks it's odd! ...Although that is very well not a nice way to put it..." She spoke louder, then. "Sakurai-san! You should really speak nicer to your partner! That sort of name calling is quite uncalled for!"

Hana gave Relena a look of disdain, while Chika just gave a heavy sigh.

"Every freaking time, Psychemon, I swear..." Hana growled.

"LOOK!" Revolmon shouted, flailing beneath Aquilamon's talon. "I'm _sorry_, but he is much, _much_ bigger than me...!"

"Enough!" Chika snapped, stepping forward. "Sakurai Hana, will you _please_ come peacefully? We don't want this to be any nastier than it has to be."

"You cannot honestly think you can best the four of us at once on your own, I hope," Kotemon added.

Hana stared at all of them, deadpan "I'd be willing to bet I could take the prissy foreigner pretty easily, actually."

There was a beat of silence before Kotemon suddenly started to charge towards Hana... while he obviously forgot Relena had been holding onto his sleeve. He was brought to an abrupt stop by this, falling flat onto his back in the process.

"Oh no!" Relena exclaimed, kneeling down beside her partner. "I'm sorry, Kotemon!"

"Really, I have to ask you again," Hana said, waving a hand. "_This_ is the best you guys can offer?"

Chika glared, clenching her fists. "I'm not going to ask you again, Sakurai."

"That's fine!" Hana shouted, pounding her fist into her palm, cracking her knuckles. "I'll take all of you on! No way I'm just going to roll over like a dog for you bastards...!"

Chika didn't say another word. Instead, she began to rush towards Hana, pulling back one fist. The black-haired girl growled and looked ready to take whatever was thrown at her... When suddenly, there came the rumbling of thunder. Chika stopped dead in her tracks, several feet from Hana. Thunder on a day like that day was a very strange occurrence, given the sky was completely clear...

**"THUNDER STORM!"** Chika spun around, crossing her arms as something came flying at her from above. It was a concentrated whirlwind that carried wild bolts of electricity. The attack slammed right into the young woman, lifting her up off the ground, the bolts surging through her body and eliciting screams of pain from her.

"Chika!" Aquilamon shouted, releasing Revolmon and rushing to catch his partner before she slammed into the ground. Aquilamon, instead, slammed _himself_ into the ground, allowing Chika to land on his feathery back.

"Wh- who...?" Relena stammered, looking around wildly. Her question was very quickly answered as a shadow fell over them, and another bird digimon descended. This one was blue feathered, with a helmet that had a lightning bolt shaped horn.

What was more interesting, however, was the person standing on this digimon's back. It was a man who had to be in his mid-twenties, with bleached blonde hair. He wore a dark blue trench coat, a black shirt, and jeans, in addition to a metal stud on his bottom lip. He jumped off the digimon's back, and once his boots hit the ground, he grinned and rose up.

"Nice shot, Thunderbirmon," the blonde man said with a chuckle, and crossed his arms. "You DATS assholes have been such a pain in the ass for my gang since we rolled into town a couple months back, I figured its time I paid you all a visit!"

"Boss!" Hana shouted as she helped Revolmon back to his feet. She gave a sadistic grin in Relena's direction. "Oh, you guys are _screwed _now."

"Boss...?" Relena asked absently.

"That was a _cheap_ shot," Chika's voice growled, and Relena looked to see the other woman sliding off Aquilamon's back, rubbing her side. She was glaring right at this new arrival. "But then, I guess we should expect that out of one of Kurata's old flunkies, shouldn't we, _Kouki?_"

"Looks like your rep's preceded you, man," Thunderbirmon said, looking down at the blonde man.

Kouki just stood there, shrugging. "Heh, heh... I guess so! But geez, you guys sure are living in the past, aren't you? Kurata's _old_ news." He pointed out at Chika. "That bastard just left us to rot after we were beaten. It's a different world now, baby - everyone's gotta make their own way, am I right?"

"Yeah..." Chika said, slowly stepping forward. Her fingers rolled back up into fists. "I guess we can agree on that much."

Relena gulped, finding herself backing up. Kotemon looked up at his partner, squinting a bit. "Relena-sama? Is something the matter...?"

Relena Norstein had known Daimon Chika for years. She knew that the older woman was a very dedicated, driven person. Chika was also one of the kindest people Relena had ever met. However, what Relena was seeing right now was a look in Chika's eyes that unnerved her. The look was angry and seething with something that could only be described as absolute hatred.

"Aquilamon, take out his partner!" Chika snapped, and Aquilamon gave a fierce nod. He shot into the air, and Thunderbirmon did the same. As both collided in the air, Chika surged forward, raising her fist high.

Kouki gave sharp laugh. "Well, if you insist, babe!" He raced up to meet her, and both threw out their fists.

As they collided, there was a flash of energy. Orange Digi-Soul erupted around Chika's body, while blue Digi-Soul formed around Kouki's. Both auras flared larger and larger, whipping up a sizable amount of wind around them. Both the fists and auras struggled to overcome one another, but neither could... at least, that is, until an unsettled look flashed over Kouki's face.

Chika gave a shout and pushed forward, shoving Kouki's arm back as her other fist came around to his face. Her burning aura cut right through his, and her fist plowed right into his head with hardly any resistance. Kouki flew back several feet, barely catching himself and landing on one knee. For several moments, he just stayed there, holding his face and breathing heavily.

Hana ran over to his side with Revolmon following after her, an absolutely perplexed look on her face. "Boss! Boss, what the hell was that?"

Meanwhile, Thunderbirmon broke away from grappling with Aquilamon in mid-air to swoop down to his partner's side. "Kouki! Get your shit together!"

Kouki said nothing. Chika just stood in the same place the whole while, breathing heavily. As her Digi-Soul died down, the band holding her hair in a ponytail came apart, causing her long brown hair to fall down across her back.

"Chika-san..." Relena murmured worriedly, but didn't dare to step anywhere close to the other woman.

"That Digi-Soul..." Kouki growled, finally, looking up at Chika. "You have _that_ Digi-Soul... Who the _hell _are you, woman?!"

"My name is Daimon Chika!" the brown-haired woman snapped back at him, holding up a fist that quickly re-lit with her Digi-Soul. "Do you want to try again, or are you going to be smarter than your old boss?"

"Daimon," Kouki growled, picking himself up. "Where is he...?"

Chika only stared furiously at him.

"Don't give me the silent treatment!" Kouki yelled. "You know _exactly_ what I mean! He's the only thing that didn't come back from that world four years ago! If he had, _he_ would be here, not _you_!"

When Chika didn't answer him again, Kouki let out another scream. Blue energy burst out around him violently, causing Hana, Revolmon, and even Thunderbirmon to be tossed back through the air. Kouki paid them no mind, and only charged straight towards Chika.

"ANSWER ME, GIRL! _WHERE IS DAIMON MASARU?!"_

**-To Be Continued**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>_ **SO! This series here has been in pre-planning for ... a very, very long time. Between a lot of personal distractions and restarting other projects, it's taken a good couple of years to finally get this off the ground and rolling. There is a LOT planned for it.**

**This series acts effectively as a sequel to Digimon Savers, but it is quite thematically removed from the other Savers continuation project I am working on with my friend Razorsaw, "Balance of Power." (And yes, for the record, that series is ALSO coming back after its overly long hiatus.) For the most part, the entire TV Series of Savers is completely canon, but there are a couple of key differences for things that would have happened behind the scenes of the show's events. They are things that never would have happened IN the show, but I'm also striving to make sure nothing key in the show is really contradicted. For the most part.**

**Just what is that key difference? In a couple chapters, it should become very, VERY obvious. **

**For now, we have a world eleven years after the TV Series, with Yoshino having taken over Satsuma's role, and Chika & Ikuto having become the number one aces of DATS. While I will note that there will be a presence of some original characters throughout the story – because the core story would be absolutely impossible otherwise – EVERY major character from Savers has a role to play in some capacity throughout the series. Part of taking so long to get it rolling was figuring out just what all those roles WERE.**

**There are many things about this series I want to ramble about, but doing so would spoil a lot of what I have planned. So I'll wait, and merely leave things at Kouki's question at the end of this chapter. **

**Believe me; that is ONE question I am going to have a lot of fun answering...**

**(Lastly, but not leastly, many thanks to Razorsaw for being my sounding board and editor on this mess. Few other people would have been able to put up with my insanity this long. XD )**


	2. Explosive Clash! Where is Daimon Masaru?

**DISCLAIMER: **Digimon Savers is the property of Toei Animation, Bandai, and Akiyoshi Hongo. Used without permission, strictly for entertainment purposes. Original characters and concepts are my own.

* * *

><p>Yoshino sat wide eyed at her desk as the sounds of Chika's battle poured into the operations room of DATS. Everything had been going so routinely, until the moment that <em>he<em> appeared. Everything was a blur until one question brought her mind to a screeching halt.

_"WHERE IS DAIMON MASARU?!"_

It wasn't even that the question was being asked. It was _who_ was asking it, and the ferocity with which it was being put forth. Even as the sound blaring from the speakers became distorted from the chaos of battle resuming, Yoshino just sat there until a voice caught her attention.

"Yoshino?" Lalamon asked, floating back into the room and coming back up behind the woman. "That voice... is it..."

Focusing back on the here and now, Yoshino nodded lightly. "Kouki. Our sources pointed to him potentially being the leader of this gang, but... actually hearing it is another matter."

Yoshino turned her head, and behind Lalamon there were two other humans that had followed her in. One was a young girl with short brown hair, a small Plotmon held in her arms. The other was a thin teenager with dark green hair, and long bangs covering part of his face. Standing beside him was a ladybug-like digimon, Tentomon, his head turned curiously to the side.

"We'll be right there, then!" the girl, Noguchi Yuka, said quickly, a look of strong determination on her face.

"No," Yoshino said, somewhat sharply, looking back ahead.

There was a stunned pause, and Yoshino heard Yuka taking a step towards her. "But-!"

Yoshino's brow furrowed, not looking at her. "_No._"

Lalamon reeled back in the air a bit, clearly surprised at the tone of voice. Naoyuki, Mariko, and their partners were looking back at them curiously, as well. There was a moment of quiet surprise, before the green haired teenager, Yamaguchi Haruki, took a step up next to the desk.

"Captain, with all due respect... might I ask why?"

Yoshino attempted to keep an even expression. Truly, she wondered how Satsuma had done it all those years ago with such apparent ease. She had learned since coming into this position that such a task was anything _but_ easy.

"We can handle this punk!" Yuka suddenly shouted, all but shoving Haruki out of the way as she came into Yoshino's field of vision. Plotmon looked more than a little alarmed. "What's so speci-"

"_Mariko!_" Yoshino snapped, interrupting Yuka and causing the redheaded operator to literally jump in her seat. "Signal Ikuto, he needs to regroup with Chika and Relena immediately!"

Naoyuki raised an eyebrow, exchanging a brief glance with PicoDevimon, before looking back at his superior officer. "Captain Fujieda, the Sakurai boy he's facing down..."

"He isn't important," Yoshino said, sternly. "Not compared to Kouki."

Yoshino's eyes went back to Yuka, who was standing there with a perturbed look written all over her face. "Haruki. Yuka. You are to stay here. There is nothing to argue on this; it's an order."

Haruki gave a couple blinks, but otherwise nodded. "If you say so, ma'am-"

Yuka, however, was a different story altogether.

"You don't think we can handle it?" Yuka asked, frustration as evident in her voice as it was on her face. "If Niisan can-!"

"Yuka," Lalamon said, "I don't think you understand what it is we're dealing with..."

"Of course I do! I know who this guy is! If he's supposed to be anywhere near as strong as Niisan said he was, then-!"

Yoshino shot the girl a hard look which stopped her words cold. "Yuka. I am only giving these orders for everyone's benefit. I am _not_ putting people's lives in danger when they don't have the experience necessary to handle a situation like this."

Yuka's mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, she gave her Captain an irritated look, before turning around and running out of the room, nearly knocking over Tentomon in the process. Haruki started to look as if he was going to chase after her, but stopped himself and looked warily at Yoshino as he stood back at attention.

"Ah, Captain Fujieda, should I...?"

Yoshino finally released a long sigh, slumping over in her seat a bit. No, she never _really_ appreciated how difficult it was to have Satsuma's job until she _had _it. "Leave her be," Yoshino murmured, eyes turning back up to watch the monitors. "She won't go anywhere. She just needs to blow off some steam. We have bigger things to worry about, in the meanwhile..."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Kouki was one of the most dangerous weapons employed by Kurata Akihiro. I thought by us bringing some of the Black Dragons in, we could figure out how to flush him out. I didn't expect him to just step right up and _invite_ us to hit him in the face..."

"Even though I suppose we should have," Lalamon added, absently.

Yoshino closed her eyes, sighing again. "Yeah..."

"If I might, Ma'am," Haruki said. "I understand we don't have the same type of experience as Noguchi-sempai, but..."

"There's only one type of thing that Kouki understands," Yoshino said, opening her eyes and turning back to him. "And only one type of power that stands any chance of stopping him."

The woman clenched a fist in frustration, but hid it under her desk. Haruki just stared at her a bit blankly. Lalamon, on the other hand, whirled around in the air to face the boy.

"The only kind of person who can really beat someone like Kouki has to be someone who can match the person who beat him the first time."

Haruki reached up to rub his chin, turning back towards the monitors. "Daimon Masaru...?"

Yoshino looked away from the young man, lowering her head. She placed a hand over her shaking fist and squeezed it. She started to open her mouth, when another voice interjected.

"That would be correct, young man!"

All eyes in the room turned to the door, and Yoshino almost stood straight up from her seat. Entering the doorway was an old man, casually shuffling his way inside with his hands behind his back, and a turtle digimon at his side.

"C- Commander Yushima!" Yoshino blurted out. Any attempt at retaining the same hard tone she remembered from Satsuma quickly left her at the sight of this man.

"Oh, come now, _Captain_," Yushima said, smiling brightly. "I'm retired."

Yoshino was simply left speechless as the old man walked ahead of her desk, craning his head up to take in the situation on the monitors above them. "Yes, indeed. It takes a certain sort of power to extinguish a fire like this Kouki fellow."

Yushima grinned, looking back at Haruki. "Don't take it too personally, my boy. It all comes in time..."

* * *

><p><strong>Digimon Savers: LEGACY<strong>

**Episode Two – _"Explosive Clash! Where Is Daimon Masaru?!"_**

**By Mugen no Ken**

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><p>"You want us to <em>what<em>?" Ikuto asked, holding one hand up to the communications device. His other hand? Was occupied as he had Sakurai Tetsuya pinned up against a sidewalk railing with his boomerang. The younger man struggled, but it was to little avail, as Ikuto had more than enough strength in that one arm to keep him at bay.

_"Someone else has appeared to help Sakurai Hana, Noguchi-san,"_ Mariko's voice came on the other end of the communicator. _"Captain Fujieda labeled it as a higher priority than Sakurai Tetsuya... It's their apparent gang leader, Kou-"_

Mariko didn't even have to finish. "Kouki...!"

Peckmon heard this, and gave his partner a sharp glance a moment before he flipped over the charging Grizzmon. The bear digimon slammed heardfirst into an empty truck, and Peckmon brandished several kunai in his feathers, taking aim even as he was upside down in the air.

**"Kunai Bane!"**

The blades streaked out, but they didn't hit Grizzmon. Instead, they implaneted themselves into the vehicle he was pulling himself out of. The kunai promptly exploded, as did the truck, sending Grizzmon flying and tumbling across the street. When Peckmon landed, he was beside Ikuto.

Despite the position he was in, Tetsuya gave a grin. "Ha! If the Boss is here, then-"

That was all he got out, as Ikuto's fist struck the side of Tetsuya's head. The young man slumped into unconsciousness, while Ikuto pulled his boomerang back, hefting it over his shoulder. "What a light weight."

A pained groan indicated that Grizzmon, however, was not yet out for the count. He wasn't on his feet, either, instead stretching a paw out in their direction. "You bastards... this fight ain't over yet!"

"Afraid so," Ikuto said, taking a single, long leap onto Peckmon's back. He actually smiled, though, looking back at Grizzmon and giving him a small salute. "Next time, eh?"

Grizzmon glared at the both of them, before letting his paw drop as his body glowed. He shrunk back into Bearmon and coughed, before rolling onto his back. "Gonna... hold you jerks to that..."

"Enough talk!" Peckmon shouted, spreading his wings and leaping into the air.

Ikuto just nodded, holding tight to his partner's back. He knew Chika could handle herself, but if they were really dealing with _Kouki,_ none of them could afford to leave anything to chance.

* * *

><p>"<em>DAIMON!<em>" Kouki's voice rang out wildy across the construction yard. His fists swung ferociously, but seemingly aimlessly, as Chika was doing a fairly good job of dodging each swing that came her way, falling back further and further across the length of the yard, and making Kouki effectively chase her. "You're going to answer me, dammit!"

"Kouki, you moron!" Thunderbirmon yelled. He was still on the ground, having just picked himself up from where Kouki's Digi-Soul explosion blew him, Hana, and Revolmon around like ragdolls. "Get ahold of yourself, or these assholes are going to-!"

As if on cue, Aquilamon's shadow fell over Thunderbirmon. The blue-feathered digimon gave a quick curse, shooting up into the air, just as energized rings fell towards his former position.

**"Blast Laser!"**

Thunderbirmon easily cleared it by flying straight up, an explosion from the attack's impact erupting beneath him. He stopped when he was even with Aquilamon in the air. "You're screwing with the wrong guy, dude!" Thunderbirmon spat, and flapped his wings forward. **"Thunder Storm!"**

Aquilamon rolled in the air, avoiding the lightning charged cyclones that were flung his way. He then flew straight at Thunderbirmon as the attack subsided, ramming into his adversary and sending the both of them crashing into half-built roof of the structure that was under construction there.

This, then, was out of Relena's view as she and Kotemon stood opposite Hana and Revolmon. The black-haired girl just looked disgruntled (not that she had looked anything else since Relena first laid eyes upon her.)

"Aw man, the Boss has totally flipped," Revolmon said, reaching up to tip his hat down as if he just didn't want to watch this. Chika was still hopping around, dodging Kouki's strikes and not yet hitting back. This was only serving to infuriate him further.

Relena frowned, looking to Hana. "Sakurai-san..."

"If you're going to say for me to give myself up again, I swear..." Hana growled, glaring at Relena. "I'm taking Revolmon's guns and shooting you myself!"

"Over my dead body, you ruffians!" Kotemon said, pointing his boken at them threateningly.

"Oh, we can arrange that!" Hana shouted, and starting to grab for one of Revolmon's weapons.

"Dammit, Hana, no!" Revolmon shouted, jerking his pistol away from her. "Last time, you nearly blew Bearmon's head off!"

"Better shot than you! At least I can hit _something!_"

"ONLY IF YOU'RE AIMING AT SOMETHING ELSE!"

This argument was interupted as a shout of pain brought everyone's attention back to Chika and Kouki. The movement of both had come to a complete halt, as Chika stood with her fist squarely in Kouki's gut.

"Don't think just because you know my name, you can take me so lightly!" Chika said. That deadly look which made Relena so nervous was still very evident in her eyes.

The look on Kouki's face was one of rage, as if her words hurt his pride more than her fist hurt his body. He gave a yell of anger, and snatched his hand out, grabbing a handful of her loose, flowing hair. Chika's eyes then went wide with surprise as he swung her around by her hair, slamming her into the ground.

"Don't mock me, dammit!" he yelled, blue Digi-Soul flaring around his fist again as he sent it smashing down for her face. Unfortunately for him, this didn't turn out too well. The grounded Chika's leg shot out, knocking one of Kouki's out from under him. Balance completely shot, Kouki fell to the side of her, his energized fist smashing into and _through_ the ground.

Chika was rolling back to her feet by the time Kouki freed his hand. She was already rushing up to him as he tried to jump back to his feet, throwing another punch to his chest. Only on his knees, this time Kouki caught it with his hand, grinning at Chika's surprised look.

"Your first mistake, girl," Kouki snarled, cocking his other arm back. "_Daimon Masaru always aimed for my face_!"

There was a shockwave of blue power as Kouki's fist impacted this time, and Chika went flying back. She didn't stop until she slammed into the construction yard's fence, which only slowed her down as she went through it and tumbled onto the sidewalk bordering the grounds.

An explosion of electrical power could be heard above them, before a piece of the partially constructed building's roof _also_ exploded. Relena looked up as she heard Aquilamon's scream and saw him plummet into the ground, landing in a heap and groaning in pain. Thunderbirmon gave a hearty laugh, swooping down and landing beside Kouki as the bleached blond dusted his pants off, rising to his feet.

"Heh," the man chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "A name doesn't mean shit if you can't back it up."

"You tell her, Boss!" Hana shouted, prompting a small cheer from Revolmon as well.

Kouki swung around, now staring at Relena. Kotemon growled and leaped in front of her. "Now, _you_ on the other hand," Kouki said, taking a few steps towards her, rolling his shoulders. "What's a cute thing like you doing here, especially if you're just gonna stand around, eh?"

Relena gulped, fingers tightening around her Digivice. "You know, it's ... improper for a man to hit a woman like that..."

She instnatly winced a bit inwardly. _That_ was the first thing that came to her mind in a situation like this? Relena was suddenly seeing her priorities were a bit skewed.

"A fighter's a fighter!" Kouki said, holding up a fist. "Anyone wants to get up in my face like that, I'm gonna give 'em the same treatment!"

"Don't you dare take another step, you scoundrel!" Kotemon barked. "Touch one hair on Relena-sama's head, and I will cut you down where you stand!"

Kouki stopped cold, but continued grinning like the madman he appeared to be. He took a glance back at Thunderbirmon, who gave a barely stifled chuckle. Kouki looked back to Kotemon, and just shrugging casually, he took another step.

Kotemon's body visibly twitched. He did not, however, do anything else. Kouki slapped one of his knees, and bent over as he gave a long laugh.

"Aw, hell guys," Kouki said, pulling himself back up. "DATS' standards suck _ass_ nowadays, don't they?" He held a hand out, and pointed to Relena. "Now, I don't expect after all that you're gonna do anything stupid. So tell me, sweet cheeks..."

Kotemon's body was now visibly shaking. Kouki's expression changed, then. All humor left his face, and it was replaced with what Relena could only describe as a cold, murderous intent.

"You gonna answer my question?"

Relena gazed at him for several moments. She knew she was surrounded, and she didn't know when she could count on Chika or Aquilamon to be back on their feet. She couldn't run, but... She also had no _intention_ of running.

"You're a horrible person," she replied, softly.

Kouki's eyes narrowed, and he began to stride forward. "Not the question, baby!"

"No, it wasn't," Relena said, looking surprisingly calm given the situation. Her arm shot out to the side, and she snapped her fingers. Light flickered around her hand as Digi-Soul swirled around it. It was blue, but different in tint from Kouki's own power. At the sight of this, Kouki again stopped cold. "I cannot say I desire to engage you in polite conversation!"

Kouki scowled. "_That _Digi-Soul..."

Relena observed him evenly. "You have a good eye for that sort of thing, I will give you that. It is the only thing I shall, however!"

"Norstein!" Kouki spat, and began to dash straight at her.

"_Relena_ Norstein!" she shot back at him, before slapping her palm onto the top of her Digivice, light shining out onto Kotemon. _**"Digi-Soul Charge!"**_

_**"Kotemon, evolve!"**_ the digimon shouted, power bursting out from his body. What formed in his place was a round, but short, knight digimon clad in armor and wielding two rapiers. He was hardly the size of most Adult digimon, as he still remained shorter than any of the humans present. _**"Gladimon!"**_

Kouki's fist flew out for the digimon, and he blocked it by crossing both blades before him. He was pushed back a few inches, but held his ground as Relena stood calmly behind him. "I am Relena-sama's blade and shield!" Gladimon proclaimed, and slashed his swords forward. "Such brutish tactics are an insult to my lady's presence!"

The man had to pull his arm away and leap back, so as he didn't his hand cut off at the wrist. He gave a bit of a snarl, and took another, long jump away from them, landing next to Thunderbirmon. "Screw it! Thunderbirmon, Revolmon!" the bleached blond commanded, and his partner was already starting to rise up in response. "Wreck his shit! But leave the girl in one piece! I want my goddamned answer!"

Before Hana could voice her inevitable objection, Revolmon threw his arms up and unleashed a blast from his chest. **"Justice Bullet!**"

"NO, you idiot-!" Hana started, but trailed off as the oversized bullet went streaking towards Gladimon from the side. "...oh, hey, you actually aimed righ-"

A lightning fast flick from Gladimon's wrist, and the bullet was deflected... right at Thunderbirmon.

"Oh, for the _love of crap_!" shrieked Hana, as she just fell to her knees and began to pull at her hair.

Thunderbirmon cursed, diving to the side and rolling out of the way to narrowly miss having his head blown off. The bird digimon quickly picked himself back up and shook his head vigorously. "Not bad, Tin Man!"

Gladimon pointed one rapier at Thunderbirmon, and the other at Revolmon. "Come at me, heathens!"

Kouki's growl was audible even from the distance between him and Relena. Thunderbirmon spread his wings, starting to take back to the air. "Gladly!" the bird digimon spat. He surely would have followed through with it, too, if not for the rain of knives that then fell towards him, each one exploding on impact.

**"Kunai Bane!"**

Thunderbirmon whirled around wildly, attempting to discern the source of his attacker, while another voice cried out as shadows fell over the digimon and his partner.

_"Kouki!"_

The man in question turned and looked up. Not making a sound, he threw his hand up just as Noguchi Ikuto fell down towards him, swinging his boomerang for Kouki's head. He caught the weapon, brief flashes of his and Ikuto's Digi-Souls flickering against each other. Ikuto bared his teeth and yanked his weapon away as he jumped back.

"Heh! Whaddaya know, if it ain't the pipsqueak!" Kouki snapped. Ikuto said nothing in response, merely holding his weapon up, obviously looking to strike again. "...damn, you guys are shitty conversationalists..."

Meanwhile, Thunderbirmon had taken to wrapping his wings tightly around his body, to shield himself from the majority of the Kunai Bane's impact. As it subsided, he looked up into the sky to find Peckmon above him. Snarling wildly, he started to spread his wings and take off...

**"BLAST LASER!"**

Aquilamon, having recovered in the time that Kouki and his gang had been distracted, was back on his feet. The rings of energy surged out from his maw, right into the unsuspecting Thunderbirmon. Not having any opportunity to defend himself, nor expecting the strike in the least, the Adult digimon went careening back into the construction site. He smashed into a wall, his weight and momentum sending it tumbling over as he bounced off of it. Landing face first in the dirt, his body glowed brightly, shrinking down into a smaller form. Now a child-sized dragon digimon decked out in commando gear, the digimon gave a pained groan, but made no moves to get back up.

"Commandramon!" Kouki yelled, swinging around to glare at Aquilamon as his partner went down. "What was that about 'cheap shots,' you assholes?!"

"You're certainly not one to talk, Kouki..."

Relena and Ikuto both shot looks to the demolished fence to see Chika walking back into the construction yard, slowly, holding her side. She obviously was in some amount of pain, and looking no less angry than before. Despite the hit Kouki had laid on her though, she was still standing. Relena couldn't help but find that impresisve.

For several moments, there was nothing said. Kouki only stood there, fists clenched with his body trembling in obvious rage.

"Give it up," Peckmon said, landing beside Ikuto. "There's no sense in us fighting like this, is there?"

Aquilamon's eyes narrowed. "Your partner's down. Unless you think your friends can hold us back... you're surrounded."

"Bastards!" Hana yelled. "I already said, I'll take all of you-!"

"Hana!" Kouki suddenly yelled, but didn't look at her or anyone in particular. "Get the hell out of here!"

Those words were enough to give everyone pause, from DATS to the younger girl he was speaking to.

"C- come again?!" Hana exclaimed. "Boss, what the hell is wrong with you? Have you _flipped_?!"

"Get Commandramon, and go_!_"

Peckmon started to step towards him. "Like we'd let you-"

Kouki didn't give him a response, nor was there an opportunity. The ground literally exploded beneath Kouki's feet, chunks of earth flying as he went running straight for Peckmon. The digimon had no chance to defend himself before Kouki was up in the air beside him, throwing a kick out into the Adult digimon's head. Peckmon went flying over Ikuto, and the blue-haired young main gave a yell of anger as he lunged for Kouki. As the boomerang was swung for his head, Kouki smacked the weapon off its course and threw his fist at Ikuto's face before he even hit the ground. Ikuto was knocked onto his back and went sliding across the dirt for several feet.

The moment Kouki was on the ground, there was a flash of orange power as Chika came running across the battleground for the man. Kouki just grinned wildly when her fist came flying for him... and he side-stepped in the blink of an eye, his leg snapping up to knee her in the gut.

"You guys just don't get it, do you?" the man asked as Chika sunk down to her knees, clutching her stomach.

"Chika!" Aquilamon roared, and went soaring across the distance, his horns glowing brightly. **"Grand Horn!"**

"Nah, I guess you don't," the man scoffed, throwing his hands out, burning with Digi-Soul, as Aquilamon bore down on him. When the bird digimon attempted to slam into him, Kouki _grabbed_ both of the energized horns, bringing Aquilamon to a dead stop, while Kouki only slid back a couple inches.

"I ain't just any thug," Kouki snarled, while Aquilamon stared at him in shock. _"Or any other human"_

Kouki flipped Aquilamon over him then, chucking the Adult digimon halfway across the construction yard. Before Aquilamon even hit the ground, Kouki was casually walking away, and towards Relena and Gladimon. Gladimon tensed, holding his rapiers up defensively, while Relena found herself unconsciously walking backwards a few steps.

A quick look around showed that, in the midst of the chaos of Kouki's rampage, Hana, Revolmon, and Commandramon were all gone. Chika attempted to get up, but ended up wincing heavily, still clutching where she'd bene struck. Ikuto was groggily attempting to push himself up with his boomerang, while both Peckmon and Aquilamon were still reeling as well.

Relena gulped. She didn't understand how things had been turned in his favor so quickly.

Gladimon yelled, rushing up as Kouki just walked up towards them like he didn't have a care in the world. "I will not allow harm to befall Relena-sama! **Sword Dancer!**"

Gladimon's blades lashed out as he jumped at the man, while Kouki ducked and doged to the side quicker than the digimon could strike him. Another flash of Digi-Soul around his fist, and Kouki slammed it into the side of the digimon's armor. Gladimon went flying like a rocket, before he hit the ground and began to bounce and roll across the yard uncontrollably, yelling angrily and incohrently the whole trip.

Relena gasped, and found herself shaking a bit as Kouki then turned to face her. He grinned, and that was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

"You people probably thought I was some idiot, eh?" he asked, striding up to her. "You can't really have thought I was gonna show you everything I was capable of right off, did you? Only a dumbass does that. I could take each and every one of you apart if I wanted!"

Then his fist shot out, and Relena clenched her eyes shut. However, moments passed, and nothing happened. The young woman opened her eyes, and gave another little gasp as she saw his fist had stopped only an inch from her.

"...but that wouldn't get me anywhere," he said, still smirking wildly. He pulled his fist back, and walked away from her, throwing his head back and laughing. "No, I've got something more important now than dismantling you guys... for now..."

To everyone's surprise, Kouki then sat down in the middle of the construction yard. He made sure to make eye contact with everyone as his eyes scanned around the area, before he held up both of his hands.

"_Arrest me_."

"I... beg your pardon?" Relena asked, blinking rapidly.

"Heh, what's the matter?" Kouki asked. "That's what you guys wanted anyway, isn't it?"

The man looked over at Chika. The woman said nothing, but it was incredibly obvious than she was angier now than she was even earlier.

"What's the matter, babe?" Kouki asked, his amusement evident. "Not how you wanted it?"

Chika started to rise back up, but was stopped as Ikuto's hand fell to her shoulder. She looked almost like she was about to throw it off for a second, before she just sighed and looked down, dejectedly. Ikuto just gazed at the bleached blond man intently.

"Just what do you want out of this, then?"

Kouki's laughed sharply. "Just an answer."

* * *

><p>"So, he just <em>gave up<em>?"

Chiba Mariko's question fell to a momentary dead silence in the DATS control room. Ikuto and Falcomon were leaning against a console to the side, the man sipping a bottle of water as he massaged the side of his head. Relena sat off to his side, though she was distracted trying to console Kotemon, who was currently groveling for her forgiveness. Haruki and Tentomon stood by the Captain's desk, which Lalamon was seated on the edge of, while Naoyuki and PicoDevimon seemed to be trying their best to work and ignore the others. Everyone else, Chika, Yuka, their partners, and Yoshino were absent.

All Ikuto knew was that his head was still ringing from where he'd been punched earlier.

"Yeah," Ikuto finally said, lowering the water bottle. "It's not something I would have expected out of Kouki."

"Especially since he could have taken all of us, even without his Partner," Falcomon muttered, his bitterness evident. "That strength he displayed, it wasn't simply Digi-Soul... It was the same as it was when we fought him trying to protect ElDoradimon."

"He is secured though, is he not?" Relena asked, looking up from her partner at Ikuto.

Ikuto closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "As well as we can. It looks like he has a lot of the same power as when he was a Bio-Hybrid. No matter how much we shackle him, there's not a lot here that can hold him." He opened his eyes back, and observed those present. "We're going to have to keep someone here at all times in order to make sure we're covered if the worst happens..."

"Don't worry about it!" Tentomon suddenly spoke up gruffly, raising an arm into the air. "We'll beat his ass down if he dares step foot out his cell! Ain't that right, Haruki?!"

The dark-green haired boy laughed nervously, tugging at his collar. "Ah, Tentomon, I don't believe that's what Noguchi-sempai meant."

Ikuto's eyes snapped open, and he pushed off the console. "It's not. When I say 'someone,' I mean Chika, the Captain, or myself. Understand this – holding Kouki, right now, is like trying to tie down an Ultimate digimon. There's only so many Agents capable of even scratching the surface of that sort of power."

"Of course," Naoyuki suddenly spoke up, albeit a bit absently, "there is the fact that the remainder of the Black Dragons escaped. Assuredly, the people that make up their membership are going to be displeased at the disappearance of their leader."

"But we _do_ have their leader," Relena noted, holding up a finger. "Perhaps without leadership, they will not be able to hold themselves together?"

"How idealistic," Naoyuki said, still not looking up at anyone and continuing to type away at his station. Relena just frowned.

"Though Naoyuki could _learn better ways to put it..._" Lalamon said, and let her sentence trail off for a moment. Naoyuki actually stopped cold in his typing for a moment, his body stiffening. He then lightly coughed and resumed his work. Lalamon continued, "He does make a good point. Just as easily as they could split off without a leader, they could also cause a lot more trouble without one, as well."

"Either way," Ikuto said, "we're going to have to be on our toes."

"Noguchi-sempai, may I ask a question?" Haruki asked, albeit a bit timidly. "Do we have any idea just what this Kouki might _want?_ Given all I've read, he doesn't seem like the type to do something like this without wanting something in return."

Ikuto sighed, casting a quick glance to Relena. She just nodded quietly, going back to pat Kotemon's head.

"Yeah," the blue-haired man said. "He wants an answer. One we don't have."

Lalamon looked down. Though not much emotion typically showed on her face, there was a certain gravity to the way she looked which told Ikuto she understood everything he meant. "So we're just going to have to hope we can get _some_ information out of him while we can."

"Pretty much," Ikuto muttered, and then looked at the empty Captain's seat. "You said Yoshino was in a meeting?"

"Oh, yes!" Lalamon said, floating off the desk towards the young man. "We got a special visitor today while you were all out!"

Ikuto squinted at her. "Special visitor...?"

As if on cue, the door to the control room slid open. In walked a turtle digimon, carrying a tray with a tea pot and cups. Kamemon and Ikuto stared at each other for several seconds, before the turtle bowed his head slightly in greeting. The man whirled around at Lalamon.

"Yushima came back?!"

* * *

><p>"My goodness, it has been a long time since I set foot in this office," Yushima said, looking around the room he and Yoshino stood in. The woman was merely leaning against the edge of her desk while he looked around. "I suppose not <em>too<em> much has changed..."

"You mean besides the fact that Commander Satsuma didn't exactly have anything in here _except_ his work," Yoshino said with mild, but feigned amusement as Yushima admired pictures adorning the walls. "But, I don't think you wanted to talk about the addition of a feminine touch to the decorations, Yushima-san."

Yushima had been stroking his chin, but as she spoke, he slowly lowered his hand and put it in one jacket pocket. His bemused expression slowly faded, and Yoshino found herself gripping the edge of her desk tightly.

"No. No, I suppose not, Yoshino..."

Yoshino cast her eyes downward. Seeing that sort of look on Yushima's face was troubling, to say the very least. "It's been years. After all this time, I was almost beginning to wonder if..."

"If I too disappeared in the wind?" the old man said, finishing her thought. She looked up to find him standing directly in front of her, a solemn look on his face.

She bit her lip. Any sign of trying to maintain that demeanor of confidence and authority in front of her agents was quickly slipping away, and she knew it. It was because she _knew_ why Yushima had been in the Digital World this whole time. Despite that, he had appeared here with only Kamemon in tow...

"Yushima-san, please... Please, be honest with me... You found something, didn't you...?"

The old man shook his head quietly, his hand still fumbling with something in his pocket. "No, I did not. There were signs, certainly, that they had been there. That _he_ had been there. Stories and accounts that would border on the sort of reverence one might have for a legend, a hero..." he said, and then paused to smile sadly. "Those are all things I doubt I have to tell anyone here, however. Yet, I never found anything solid. Not since that gateway opened back up. Not since that battle we think triggered it..."

Yoshino felt a chill dancing up and down her spine, but she nodded. Only slightly, however, as she realized upon attempting to move her body had gotten very tense.

"I was not the only one searching, however," Yushima went on. "Craniummon has been just as busy as Kamemon and I over the years. In the debris of that battle where we last knew they were, he ... found something."

Yushima pulled his hand out of his pocket, and retrieved a small object. It was a simple object; a silver, rectangular pendent, with a necklace through it. Even after all these years, Yoshino recognized it immediately. It was the very same pendent that Daimon Masaru wore around his neck every day that she had known him.

Immediately, the potential implications of this object, of where it had been found, with so much time having passed began to hit her like a sack of bricks. She was glad she was leaning against the desk, as she started to feel a bit weak in the knees. Her chest felt tight, and she looked at the old man in disbelief. Such an implication shouldn't have _been_ surprising.

"Yoshino," he said, reaching out and taking her hand. "It is not a certainty. You know that as well as anyone."

"Yet you came back," she murmured, and she found her vision blurring. Despite best attempts otherwise, tears were welling up in her eyes. "I know you, Yushima-san. After so long, you wouldn't have unless..."

"Do you think I've given up hope then?" he asked. She wanted to avert her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to. He just smiled sadly. "Don't take me so lightly, my dear. Hope is something I can _never_ lose, not with everything all you young people have shown me. It was important I come back here, if just for this, though."

He turned her palm up, and laid the pendent in her hand. Her eyes widened and she stared at it as tears started to drip down her cheeks. She was so stunned, still, she made no attempt to even wipe them away.

"This was something precious to Suguru, and to ever Masaru is now, he would want me to bring this back here."

"But, it was Suguru-san's, he-"

Yushima just smiled some more, closing her fingers around the pendent. "I know Suguru. I'll talk with him and Satsuma, but... I know well enough Suguru would have the same thought. You know where this belongs, Yoshino."

Yoshino's hand tightened around the pendent, and she held it to her chest, tears still flowing freely. "It's hard, sometimes, Yushima-san... keeping that hope you're talking about... He's been gone longer than Suguru-san ever was, now... I don't know what I'd even do if he suddenly walked through the door one day. I just wish he _would_. Not even for my sake, but..."

She looked down, opening her hand to look at the pendent. She couldn't find anything more to say. She didn't know what _to_ say...

Yushima put a hand on her shoulder. "Do what you think is right, Yoshino. You know and understand what that is better than anyone. Satsuma wouldn't have trusted you in that uniform otherwise."

Yoshino continued not to say anything. Instead, she flung her arms around the old man, hugging him tightly. He just accepted it, patting her on the back. Yoshino knew she wouldn't be able to show this weakness anywhere else, or _to _anyone else. Everywhere else, she had to remain strong. For just a moment, though, she wasn't worried about that.

It was a minute or so later before she pulled back, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. "Yushima-san, I..." she began, and sighed, shaking her head. "Thank you, sir..."

He waved a hand. "You needn't do that, Yoshino," he said, and began to turn around, smiling back at her. "I'll take care of what needs to be taken care of in this world. But don't think I am done with the other one... The Digital World is a strange place that doesn't play by the rules. If just for that... I can never lose hope."

Yoshino just nodded, glancing back down at the pendent. She didn't know _what_ to think, nor where her own hope lay. However, if nothing else, Yushima's hope was enough for the moment.

It would have to be.

* * *

><p>Yuka sat on the highest point of DATS Headquarters' rooftop that one could feasibly get to, feet dangling off the edge. She liked to come up here when she wanted to think, or she just wanted to be alone, as not many others frequented this area. She could see both a great view of the ocean and the lay of the city from here, something which had a calming effect on her.<p>

"Yuka-chan?"

The girl looked behind her to see Chika coming out of the stairwell. The woman smiled a bit, putting a hand on her hip. "There you are! I was looking all over for you."

Yuka just turned her head back to stare out at the city. "Hi, Chika-neechan."

The girl heard a heavy sigh behind her, and footsteps, before Chika took a seat next to her. "Where's Plotmon?"

Yuka gave a slight shrug. "He's scared of heights, so he sort of took off somewhere else in the base... That's fine, really..." She then looked up at the woman, and blinked. "Chika-neechan, you look a bit..."

"Like I've gotten by butt handed to me?" Chika asked in a sardonic tone, and smirked. "Yeah. I guess you could say that."

The younger of the two sighed lightly. "I guess I really wouldn't have been much help, would I?"

"Is _that _what you're so upset about?" Chika asked, leaning over a bit so that she was in Yuka's field of vision. "Yuka-chan, _we_ could barely handle that guy. You're fine, really. You've just got a lot to learn."

"Niisan didn't have a lot to learn when he was my age."

"Ikuto was trained by great digimon warriors since he was like, _five_," Chika noted. "Believe me, Yuka-chan, it's _not _a bad thing to have started later. Besides! You have better than that to teach you here."

The woman leaned back, placing her hands on the roof behind her to brace herself. Yuka's vision followed her, and she raised an eyebrow. "You mean Niisan?"

"Well, yeah," Chika said, and smirked at the girl. "But I mainly mean me."

Yuka stared for a moment longer, before snorting and giggling despite herself.

Chika sat back up, poking Yuka in the cheek, prompting the girl to laugh some more. "See? You can never get away with acting like that around me!"

Yuka attempted to compose herself, and looked to the sky. "Thanks, Chika-neechan, it's just... catching up to him seems so hard, sometimes..."

Chika's smirk faded, and she too looked up. The woman sighed, and put an arm around Yuka. "Yeah, I know. I know exactly how that feels."

* * *

><p>"Dammit!" Hana yelled, kicking a trash can. It turned out to be empty, thus prompting it to bounce down the length of the darkening alleyway she, Psychemon, Tetsuya, Bearmon, and Commandramon were presently in.<p>

"Do you wanna _keep it down_?" Commandramon snapped. He was leaned up against one wall, holding his side, and obviously still recovering from the damage Aquilamon had dealt him. "The last thing we need is more of those DATS losers or the cops knowin' where we are after we barely got away."

"He's got a point, Sis," Tetsuya said, reaching to place a hand on his younger sister's shoulder before she promptly shrugged it off.

She huffed and crossed her arms. "This is bullshit."

Bearmon yawned and sat down beside Commandramon, pulling his baseball cap around and over his eyes. "Yeah, but, what're ya gonna do? Raid DATS HQ? Ehhhh. Boss Kouki's a big boy, right?"

"Plus, did you see what he did to those losers back there?!" Psychemon exclaimed. "It was awesome!"

"You mean when we were running with our tails between our legs?" Hana muttered.

"Yeah!" Pyschemon said, a little too enthusiastically. Realizing what he said, he backed up and chuckled, while Hana looked like she was about to hit him. "Uh, I mean..."

"So, what the hell is this?" a new voice suddenly interjected. All five sets of eyes turned further into the alley, as another figure emerged from the shadows. _Two_ figures, in fact. One was a young man near Hana's age in a white t-shirt, black vest, and torn jeans. A green bandana adorned his head, with auburn hair peeking out from beneath it. Beside him was a blue scaled dragon digimon.

"Ryuji. Dracomon," Hana hissed, and started to stomp over in his direction befoe Tetsuya grabbed her by the arm. "Lemme go! I wanna beat his skull against the pavement!"

"Wow," the younger man said with a short laugh. "Did I touch a nerve or something?"

"You were late for the job, asshole!" Tetsuya snapped. "And we ran into DATS! And_-_"

"Kouki got himself arrested, eh?" Ryuji asked, and gave a half-hearted shrug. "Wow! Sure as hell sucks to be him, don't it?"

Hana growled. "Let me go, Oniisan!" she shouted, trying to shake Tetsuya's hand away from her arm. Instead, she opted to just point at Ryuji. "Asshole! You're part of this gang, too, aren't you?!"

Ryuji snorted. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Hana. Yeah, we missed out on today's job – not like I knew those DATS guys were gonna show up. Just give us a chance at 'em, next time," he said this pointing to both himself and Dracomon, who puffed up his chest in response. "We'll show those jackasses who they're dealing with when they cross the Black Dragons."

Tetsuysa scowled. "And what about the Boss?"

"Yeah, jerkass," Commandramon sneered. He may not have been able to get up, but he bared his fangs as he spoke. "Just what _about_ Kouki?

"Well, s'like Bearmon said, isn't it?" Ryuji asked, with a grin. "Kouki can surely take care of himself. And if not, heh, well... guess he just couldn't keep up. Survival of the strongest, right?"

Hana gave a loud snarl, but said nothing else, for the moment. Commandramon just gave him a heavy glare.

Ryuji chuckled. "Don't get too mad, guys. After all..." He clenched a fist, blue Digi-Soul swirling around it. "There can only be _one_ Number One."

* * *

><p>It was night time before Yoshino could even attempt to return home. It was even later, still, when she actually <em>got<em> there. Despite debating with Ikuto and Chika over who would get to stay overnight and watch over Kouki, Yoshino found herself outvoted by her subordinates – and _Lalamon_ – and thus sent on her way home. Somehow, she didn't think that was how it was supposed to work, but went along with it all the same.

As she set foot inside her apartment, undoing and hanging up her jacket as she passed through the opening hallway, there was very little noise. In fact, the only thing was the dull sound of a TV blaring in the living room. That, too, was the only place there was any real light.

"Come on, now," she spoke audibly as she walked into said living room. "You better have been doing your homework and not watching cartoons and hero shows all-"

The woman came to a stop as she came around to the sofa. Sprawled out across it was a young boy, eleven years of age, with short, brown hair, snoring rather loudly. Scattered across the coffee table in front of him was a pile of half-finished homework, as well as a plate that had been scraped clean which she knew had been left in the refridgerator for the boy early that morning.

For a second, Yoshino was about to speak again, but her voice was caught in her throat. Instead, she turned into another room, and quickly returned with a blanket. After laying it over the sleeping boy, she reached out and stroked his hair.

"Sleep well, Katsuro," she murmured, before leaning in to kiss his forehead.

As she pulled back, the light of the television glinted off the silver pendent now hanging around her neck as it dangled between the two of them, and she frowned. She sighed and sat back on the floor, holding up the pendent to look at it. She couldn't bear to wake this boy up for this. She wasn't sure would she would be able to bear to _show_ him this...

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, though she knew she was the only one who could hear it. "Mama's sorry, Katsuro..."

**-To Be Continued**

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES: Insert me whistling innocently... about here.<strong>

**Hi again. With this chapter, there's a lot more groundwork being laid. Including some things I am certain some folks won't like, but hey, whatever. I'm enjoying myself, dammit.**

**There's really not a lot I can say here without giving many things away, so I'll just ask: Is it obvious enough, yet?**

**Thanks again to Razorsaw for allowing me to bounce ideas off him, and trying to watch out for my grammar when I bust out eight thousand words in a day or so's time.**


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